RED HOOK, N.Y. -- The school district superintendent is promising better communication with district parents after some said anti-bullying lessons for eighth-graders appeared to send inappropriate messages about sexual activity.

Bard College students participated in the lessons, which targeted primarily 12- and 13-year-olds.

"The intent (of the lessons) was to provide students with the opportunity to discuss these issues separated by gender in a more comfortable environment," Finch said. "The boys' sessions were supervised by the guidance counselors and health teacher. The girls' sessions were supervised by guidance counselors and our (Council for Alcohol Prevention and Education) counselor, and our principal."

Red Hook parents, though, took to a discussion site on the Web to criticize the sessions. One criticism focused on a female student from Bard using a "simple, light-hearted role play designed to encourage girls to feel comfortable saying no to unwanted advances from boys."

Advertisement

Some parents said the exercise created the impression that the district was endorsing sexual relations between teenagers. They declined to comment, though, when contacted by the Freeman, saying they feared their children would be treated unfairly by school administrators as a result.

Finch said if eighth-graders in the session asked about student relationships, "they were respectfully acknowledged and addressed in an age-appropriate fashion."

"These were not sex education sessions," the superintendent said. "We do not promote student-to-student relationships, or any particular lifestyle for that matter."

Of the impetus for the anti-bullying sessions, Finch said: "The principal and guidance counselors recognized a need to work with eighth-grade students on more positive peer-to-peer communication, respect for individual differences and developing personal boundaries when it comes to relationships."

Parent Roberta Hayes said there has been some effort by the district to clarify how the sessions were conducted, but she noted there is disagreement about whether the Bard students were supervised by school staff.

"They (district officials) haven't outright called some of the (eighth-grade) students that have given stories liars, but it's been indicated that the truth wasn't told by the students," she said. "So a lot of parents are still very unhappy."

Hayes said discussions between district administrators and parents has provided some optimism that communications will improve.

"I think the district is listening to the concerns," she said. "I think they were caught off guard. I think what most people are upset about is the presenters were Bard students, but this isn't even a field that they were in and ... and they crossed the line basically."